Thick skin and presentations

[Guest guest]

Dear Brian,

 

I thank you for the auspicious "diplomacy" award though I can think of others who deserve it more than I do in various given circumstances. Z'ev, Ken, Gabrielle, Marne, Jim and a host of other recent contributors who have come to the rescue of their peers. Todd especially deserves all the possible kudos for both maintaining the list, maintaining a balanced view and keeping a perimeter on some of our talk. I've seen him come to the rescue of those getting bitten. Your voice, Brian, is more needed and more appreciated than you might realize.

 

In a recent Time magazine article Hillary Clinton notes advice received from Eleanor Roosevelt that she would need to set aside her sensitivity and develop the hide of a rhinoceros if she wanted to promote public policy from her perch in the White House. Part of posting on this list is the experience of speaking publicly. The catcalls and bites of peers have several effects. They clearly define most publicly those who seek to "bite" much more than those who get bitten. They also in some ways increase the authority of those who get bitten far more than they increase the authority of those who seek to bite. Consider this carefully.

 

It's worth posting clear thoughts and ideas on this list, and you only need to have thick skin for a short while after the post. I've always maintained that the most efficacious way to learn is to present. The most intense presentation is when you look into the eyes of your peers and try to state your case. I ask my own students to work this way in partnerships to learn course materials. I would wager that most of those on this list who have taught for a few years would agree with this premise.

 

We have a magnificent and august group of professional people on this list, but that should not preclude CM students or any one else from speaking, stating their views, and asking for clarifications. Step up to the open mike, please, and present a clear view or a clear question for our circle of peers. It really is an excellent practice to come into your own voice as a young professional. It's also wonderful to check your understanding and views of various topics. Having said that, there are many of us here in the wings who will rush to dress you wounds or privately (or publicly) cheer you.

 

All the Best,

Emmanuel Segmen

 

[Guest guest]

Well Emmanuel, you win the diplomacy prize again! What you say below is

quite apt and applies to the earlier discussion about the need to improve

our student's ability to read, write and think. It is quite easy to

be intimidated by one's peers and by having the " big names " in

the profession read your thoughts. When I first joined this group,

I spent a few days just reading and trying to understand what people were

saying and where they were coming from before I chimed in. As Bob

Flaws said earlier - I wish I could take some of my earlier work

" out of publication " so to speak. But we learn from

expressing ourselves, especially when we do so publicly. As a

teacher, I try to learn something new every time I prepare a class, and,

hopefully, I do not teach the exact same class each time I teach it.

Presenting a paper, writing a paper, writing an e-mail, these are the

same. I would love to see greater participation from the 800

members on this list - although I'm not sure I could keep up with it -

but, if people do not want to participate on this public forum I hope

that they enjoy and learn from the discussions of others. The

luminaries were once the beginners and all of us have had to eat our

words from time to time. The dissension that we see in this group

is healthy - we all know that we are, in the end, pursuing similar goals

- to advance Chinese medicine and to enhance our knowledge through

interaction.

Marnae

At 09:45 AM 6/12/2003 -0700, you wrote:

Dear Brian,

 

I thank you for the auspicious " diplomacy " award though I can

think of others who deserve it more than I do in various given

circumstances. Z'ev, Ken, Gabrielle, Marne, Jim and a host of other

recent contributors who have come to the rescue of their peers. especially deserves all the possible kudos for both maintaining the

list, maintaining a balanced view and keeping a perimeter on some of our

talk. I've seen him come to the rescue of those getting

bitten. Your voice, Brian, is more needed and more appreciated than

you might realize.

 

In a recent Time magazine article Hillary Clinton notes advice received

from Eleanor Roosevelt that she would need to set aside her sensitivity

and develop the hide of a rhinoceros if she wanted to promote public

policy from her perch in the White House. Part of posting on this

list is the experience of speaking publicly. The catcalls and bites

of peers have several effects. They clearly define most publicly

those who seek to " bite " much more than those who get

bitten. They also in some ways increase the authority of

those who get bitten far more than they increase the authority of those

who seek to bite. Consider this carefully.

 

It's worth posting clear thoughts and ideas on this list, and you only

need to have thick skin for a short while after the post. I've

always maintained that the most efficacious way to learn is to

present. The most intense presentation is when you look into the

eyes of your peers and try to state your case. I ask my own

students to work this way in partnerships to learn course

materials. I would wager that most of those on this list who have

taught for a few years would agree with this premise.

 

We have a magnificent and august group of professional people on this

list, but that should not preclude CM students or any one else from

speaking, stating their views, and asking for clarifications. Step

up to the open mike, please, and present a clear view or a clear question

for our circle of peers. It really is an excellent practice to come

into your own voice as a young professional. It's also wonderful to

check your understanding and views of various topics. Having

said that, there are many of us here in the wings who will rush to dress

you wounds or privately (or publicly) cheer you.

 

All the Best,

Emmanuel Segmen